Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-07-10

the remaining portion OF the
State" upon a two-thirds vote
of the population of those
counties. The area thus to be
eliminated and converted into new
State comprised less than one-third OF
the State-and its population scarcely
one-tenth-a most comical divorce
upon the mere volition of an ex-
tremely weak party to the nuptial
contract. We can only account for
such farcical legislation from the fact
that both legislative branches were
largely composed at the time of men,
bers of strong secession proclivities,
and rankly disposed to reduce to ridi-
cule and absurdity the legislation Of
the free State Of California.
We have already seen that, under
the Constitution of the United States,
Congress was inhibited from any
movement in the premises without
previous action of the counties of San
Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Los An
geles, San Diego, San Bernardino and
a part of the since exploded county of
Buena Vista, reared into statehood.
Says Judge Widney to the repor-
torial fend of the Times:
"The Governor submitted the ques-
ton to the people of the southern part
of the State at the next election. The
required two-thirds vote in favor of a
division was cast, the result duly GER
titled to the Secretary of State, by him
to the Governor, and by him to the
President of the United States and our
member in Congress. There the
matter has rested ever since"
We do not dispute the correctness
of the Judges information on this
point, but we do not doubt that Gov
ernor Downey broke out into a
Milesian guffaw when he penned his
proclamation summoning the then
sparse population of this semi
| tropical region to vote themselves into
new statehood; nor have We less
doubt that the good suffragans OF this
section were equally boisterous in
their merriment at the polls. The en-
tire performance was an unadulterated
farce
The erudite Judge continues: 'Ii
the people of Southern California
want new State, all that is necessary
is to let that fact be known through
the press and in other legitimate ways
and have our representatives in Con-
gress call up and push the matter al
any session of that body. There is nc
need for another election on the ques.
ton, so far as the law and facts are
| D..A trt
doubt if any present or future Con
gressional representative from this OF
any other section of our land will haz
ard his character for intelligence ol
even sentiency by the revival of this
fossilliforous and silurian comedy. II
was food for laughter in our early anC
primitive condition-but the joke has
now become stale and sepulchral.
The Judge favors State division
because the area of the State is very
|. large and very much diversified il
3 many respects"
1t seems to us that about the sam,
t reasons were urged by our erin,
brethren of the south for severance
! of the Union.
Homogeneousness OF climate an,
pursuits, If our memory serves us, wa
, the cry Of Calhoun and his satellite
! i'm pursuit of secession.
! We take it landscape becomes al
tractive in proportion to the diversit
of the scenery and wealth and pros
, perity enure from diversity OF popu
iation and diversity Of occupations.
The Judge says "the location Of tn
seat of government is very inconven
. lent" He forgets that railroads hav
! 'obliterated space, and that the city {
Sacramento is Of more easy and quic